Coverings 2023 Offering Extensive Educational Opportunities
ARLINGTON, Va. – An extensive lineup of new and returning activities, tours and presentations are on tap for Coverings 2023, set for April 18-21 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Attendees of Coverings 2023 will be able to explore more than 400,000 ft² of exhibit space with exhibitors from more than 30 countries, displaying the tile, stone, tools, equipment, machinery, and other resources. More than 20,000 attendees from all segments of the industry will be able to connect with exhibitors to explore and discover new and trending products onsite.
“Coverings is expanding its 2023 show to include an even broader range of special programs, beneficial resources and experiential activations than in the past,” said Jennifer Hoff, CEO of Taffy Event Strategies, the event management company for Coverings.
“New, stimulating programming and partnerships, show floor tours, live installations in the Coverings Lounge, growth and networking opportunities, programs for fabricators, and many other activations,” she continued, “will contribute to a curated Coverings experience for distributors, retailers, fabricators, contractors, specifiers, architectural and design professionals, builders, and all segments of the industry.”
The Coverings Lounge at this year’s show will provide a centrally located and comfortable space for attendees to gain professional knowledge, network with peers, hear from industry leaders, and attend happy hours featuring valuable prize giveaways. The four key tenets of Coverings 2023 – “Health & Wellness,” “Sustainability,” “Outdoor Spaces,” and “Timeless Luxury” – will be focal points of the Coverings Lounge.
Each tenet will be highlighted through live demonstrations, displays, relevant market trends, and numerous hands-on activities to provide showgoers with custom, memorable experiences that highlight the innumerable benefits and uses of tile and stone.
An extensive lineup of educational sessions will be offered during Coverings 2023 and span three tracks: “Installation & Fabrication,” “Materials & Trends,” and “Workforce & Profits.” All educational content is being planned to provide attendees with information, knowledge, techniques, and skills, enabling them to position ceramic tile and stone as the material of choice over other materials.
Various must-see Trends Tours will be offered at Coverings 2023 to allow attendees to see and experience relevant exhibitorsand stunning product displays based on specific areas of interest or expertise.
“Fabricator Trends Tour: New and Innovative Products from the Marketplace,” on April 18 from 2:30-3:30 p.m., will aid in evaluating stone products and machinery on the show floor. The tour is also designed to guide fabricators in discovering new, innovative products; help them understand the role of long-term planning in relation to new product selection and implementation; and offer strategies on calculating return on investment of new tooling or equipment additions for facilities.
“Trends Tour: Sustainability,” taking place April 19 from 2:30-3:30 p.m., will provide attendees with the opportunity to explore and discover the latest in sustainable products in the tile and stone industry and uncover exceptional insights regarding new trends and solutions for green building. “Trends Tour: Health & Wellness,” on April 20 from 2-3 p.m. will examine all things current in the tile and stone industry regarding health and wellness.
“Trends Tour: Luxury in Practice,” on April 18 from 2:30-3:30 p.m., will reveal the latest luxurious tile and stone trends, learning about new products and opportunities to deliver the beauty and luxury demanded by clientele. “Trends Tour: Outdoor Spaces,” on April 20 from 3-4 p.m., highlights products that create beautiful and durable spaces that expand living beyond the indoors.
“Tour: Building Your Installation Truck,” on April 19 from 2:30-3:30 p.m., offers checklist and templates that will ensure their preparation for any installation challenge they may face. This custom-crafted tour will provide participants with the tools they need for a proper installation truck and teach them about new technology and programs to help stock their trucks.
Coverings is enhancing its popular lineup of interactive Stages for 2023 to feature all the latest and most important updates from tile and stone industry leaders. Trends, solutions, live “how-to” classes, and other relevant content will be available on three stages throughout the show floor, offering attendees the latest innovations in products, techniques and business processes for the tile and stone industry.
The Fabricator Stage, a new 2023 stage addition, enables attendees to gain insights from experts in the stone and fabrication industry through short and engaging presentations and demonstrations. Programming provided in conjunction with the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) and Rockheads Group will focus on the most relevant topics for tile and stone fabricators.
The Installation Innovation Stage will headline live demonstrations, offering pros offering the latest about new materials, industry standards, methods, and best practices for delivering superior tile installation. Demonstrations will be delivered by NTCA and TCNA members.
The Trends & Solutions Stage will return to Coverings for its second year to highlight everything at the forefront of the tile and stone industry. This stage will feature short presentations from those launching new services, providing business solutions or showcasing new product trends.
Attendees will also have a chance to face off by participating in interactive Fabricator and Contractor Challenges. These challenges require attendees to visit all the exhibitors in a designated area of the show floor, answer a question, get their cards stamped, and submit their completed cards in each challenge’s respective bin for a chance to win $2,500.
The Coverings Lounge will also be the center for complimentary Contractor Tours and theCoverings 2023 Rock Star Awards.Emerging, young professionals will be honored at the 2023 Rock Star Awards Ceremony and Reception, on April 18 from 4-5 p.m. (All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time.)
Happy hours will return as a much-anticipated favorite among showgoers at the event. This beloved Coverings feature will occur in the Coverings Lounge April 18, 19 and 20, starting at 4 p.m. Cold drinks and valuable giveaways from TCNA and NTCA member companies will be available to those present, offering attendees a fun way to interact and wrap up their show days.
On display in the Coverings Lounge will be “Wally the Gator,” a 6’ x 4’ Florida gator-themed mosaic tile project designed, built and installed by the tile artisan team of Lee Callewaert of Dragonfly Tile and Stone Works and Joshua Nordstrom of Tierra Tile. This awe-inspiring tile art was created live and streamed during Coverings 2021 and is making a first-time appearance in Orlando for Coverings 2023.
The Coverings 2023 show floor will also include a special display that will be of particular interest to architect and design attendees known as the Art Tile Village. The Art Tile Village, located next to the Coverings Lounge in the TCNA Pavilion, will include a range of aesthetically pleasing tile art designed by local and regional tile experts. This space will be dedicated to artisans who keep old-world traditions alive by crafting handmade art and specialty tiles.
The Podcast Studio,acclaimed by many Coverings attendees, is expected to be an extremely popular feature at Coverings 2023. The studio, located in the South Hall Lobby, will offer podcasters across the tile, stone and construction industries a unique opportunity to record episodes during Coverings 2023. Attendees can stop by the studio to listen in as podcasters record new episodes for their respective shows.
A roundup of Show Floor Tours will help attendees maximize their time and experience during Coverings 2023. Contractor Tours will make a return at Coverings 2023, providing opportunities to join the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) for guided show floor explorations of the latest tools, equipment and allied products for contractors, installers, retailers, distributors, and specifiers. The tours will kick off each day at 11 a.m. from April 18-20.
Those interested in attending the Coverings Contractor Tours are recommended to sign-up at no cost in the Coverings Lounge early; tours will start and conclude in the Coverings Lounge each day and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees can also see a live demonstration of the raised pedestal system being installed and experience a live Q&A session in the lounge following the tours daily.
Visit the Coverings website for more information about the lounges, stages, tours, educational sessions, and other special programs at Coverings 2023. Register to attend Coverings 2023 at no cost by visiting coverings.com.
Key sponsors of the show are Ceramics of Italy/Confindustria Ceramica, Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association of Spain (ASCER)/Tile of Spain, Tile Council of North America (TCNA), National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), and Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA).
For more information about attending, sponsoring or exhibiting at Coverings 2023, contact Taffy Event Strategies at 571-313-5801 or info@coverings.com.
